Good Game Wins Valley View

Good Game rated just off the pace set alternately by Nanie's Dinner and Trip before edging clear in the stretch to win the $114,800 Valley View Stakes (gr. IIIT) by 1 1/4 lengths Saturday at Keeneland. Running over yielding turf, the 3-year-old filly completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.69 while racing very wide around the track under jockey Pat Day.

Good Game (Fly Till Dawn--Boom Bird, by Storm Bird) is owned by W.S. Farish and E.J. Hudson and was bred in Kentucky by Josephine T. Gleis. The win marks the first for Good Game while trained by Neil Howard, coming in her third race for the conditioner and first without Gaviola in the field. While trained by Anthony Dutrow, Good Game won the Christiana Stakes at Delaware Park in July. Good Game earned $71,176 for the win, which improved her career record to four wins from nine starts. The Valley View was her first race over turf listed worse than firm.

"I didn't know if she could handle it or not," said Howard of the track condition. "To my knowledge, I don't know if she had ever been on it or not. But it looked like she handled it OK."

Good Game returned $6.40, $4.40, and $3.40. The winning exacta combination paid $49.20. (Chart, Equibase)